The UK Daily Mail thinks that the Togo Terrorist Attack was Footballs worst nightmare:The four weeks in January which were meant to herald an African football carnival have turned instead to carnage.Everybody was hoping for an African Festival:
Security was already a major issue for those travelling to the World Cup, and not only for the players and coaches. Even journalists and TV men heading to cover the competition have been told they will have armed guards and 24-hour security.Instead they have an Africa driven by a fear that could even affect the World Cup in South Africa.Hull Premier League Manager Phill Brown says:I am appalled, this throws a question mark against next summer's World Cup. You simply cannot put the safety of players, officials and fans at the slightest risk. That is totally unacceptable.Meanwhile Chief World Cup Organizer Danny Jordaan says that the gun attack will have no impact on the World Cup:"The world understands that sovereign countries are responsible for their own safety and security and to say what happened in Angola impacts on the World Cup in South Africa is the same as suggesting that when a bomb goes off in Spain, it threatens London's ability to host the next Olympics.
"It is nonsensical for South Africa to be tainted with what happens in Angola, which is not even one of our neighbouring countries."
 For every 1 000 crimes reported in South Africa, only 430 criminals are arrested. Of these, only 77 are convicted and barely 8 of these are sentenced to two or more years of imprisonment. |
So, while South Africa holds the prestigious record of the Gold Medal for Murders, and the Silver Medals for Rapes, at the Crime Olympics; with Angola not even worth a mention; and South Africa's Ministers of Safety and Security either deliberately indifferent to these Crime Olympic realities; or totally and utterly useless and incompetent to provide safety and security for South Africa's own citizens; the very same taxpaying citizens who pay the ANC and Mr. Jordaan salaries; Mr. Jordaan wants the world to believe that these same deliberately indifferent or utterly incompetent Safety and Security personnel, are capable of protecting the Worlds Soccer Stars, from Al Qaeda terrorist acts and gangland crime warriors.
Meanwhile the German Soccer Team's security -- perhaps thanks to lessons learnt from their lackadaiscal approach to Safety and Security at the 1972 Olympics, -- aren't taking any chances.
If President Zuma's previous promises are anything to go by -- such as for example that one where he promised to create 500,000 jobs, -- then we can take for granted, that South Africa is about 30% ready to host the World Cup; if that!
Togo terrorist attack is threat to the 2010 World Cup finals
Ralph Ellis, Daily Mail
Last updated at 11:51 PM on 08th January 2010
It was football's worst nightmare. The four weeks in January which were meant to herald an African football carnival have turned instead to carnage.
As details emerged last night of the horrific attack on the team bus carrying Togo's players across the border into Cabinda, a province of Angola, it left growing fears about the future not just of the Africa Cup of Nations but of the World Cup in South Africa itself.
The decision to take the game's most colourful tournaments to a region that was scarred by a bitter civil war was always a gamble.
But the organisers reckoned it a risk worth taking to show the world how the continent was moving into a new era.
 Foul! Secret World of FIFA: Bribes, Vote-rigging & Ticket Scandals; by Andrew Jennings |
Instead last night there were calls from England's Premier League clubs for their players to come back home as the full shock began to sink in. And the question will be asked: 'If Angola can't keep players safe from terrorists, can South Africa protect the world's biggest stars in the summer?'
Security was already a major issue for those travelling to the World Cup, and not only for the players and coaches. Even journalists and TV men heading to cover the competition have been told they will have armed guards and 24-hour security.
Last night as Portsmouth became the first club to ask officially for their players to be brought home if their security cannot be guaranteed, all those fears were being brought into sharper focus.
You only had to listen to the account of Togo's Nantes striker, Thomas Dossevi, to understand the fear that will hang around the remainder of this tournament - if it goes ahead.
Dossevi said: 'We'd just crossed the border when we were fired upon - machine gun fire, even though we were surrounded by police cars, both in front and behind us.
'It was clearly an ambush, it's unbelievable. When we felt the bullets hitting the bus, everybody hit the floor. Your survival instinct kicks in and we were just glad when it was over.
 Fearing the worst: Martin Samuel's column, August 19, 2009 |
'It lasted about 10 to 15 minutes, which is a really long time believe me. The only thing you can do in this type of situation is to lie quiet on the floor, sit still, don't move.
'But still two players were shot. Blood was pouring down the floor of the bus. Members of our medical staff were shot too - and we don't have news of their health at the moment.'
It should not have been a surprise. Togo had ignored advice not to travel by coach in a country where many roads are still unsafe because of landmines left from the years of bitter civil war. Britain's Foreign Office advises: 'We advise against all but essential travel to the interior of Cabinda province.'
Togo's horrified players have already said they don't want to play their first game, due to be against Ghana on Monday, but even respected African voices have joined the calls for the tournament to be scrapped.
Claude Leroy, a former Cameroon and Ghana coach, insisted: 'You have to ask the question. Football's just a game. This is really serious and means that safety cannot be guaranteed. These local hotspots can be really dangerous. The Confederation of African Football is going to have to take a decision.'
Two English-based players escaped the gunfire. Manchester City and Aston Villa made frantic efforts to contact Emmanuel Adebayor and Moustapha Salifou and were relieved to learn both were safe.
But the clubs of the other 26 English- based players will be just as worried this morning that this could turn out to be the first of other incidents. They have already made representations to the Premier League.
 Flashpoint: The attack happened in Cabinda, one of four host venues of the Africa Cup of Nations |
Last night the FA confirmed: 'We are in contact with various English clubs who have players involved and we will continue to ensure we are kept up to speed with all developments.'
Angola won the bid to stage this tournament to prove how they had climbed back from decades of violence, and its government was clearly banking on the tournament as a chance to show the world the progress they have made. A building boom fuelled by oil wealth has included £62million spent on new stadiums in Cabinda and three Angolan cities for the tournament. While the rest of the world has been in recession, Angola were forecasting economic growth of eight per cent this year.
But all that was against the background of unrest left from the civil war, and the main oil-producing region has been plagued by unrest.
 Soccer Against the Enemy: How the World's Most Popular Sport Starts and Fuels Revolutions and Keeps Dictators in Power; by Simon Kuper |
Human rights groups have accused the military of atrocities and claim government officials have embezzled millions of dollars in oil revenue. An added worry for the World Cup is the realisation that sports stars are targets for terror. This was the second gun attack on a sports team in less than a year.
Several players were injured and six policemen were killed when gunmen opened fire on the Sri Lankan cricket team's bus in Lahore, Pakistan, in March 2009. That resulted in all cricket tours of Pakistan being called off.
Despite all the worries of terrorist attack, until yesterday the players - even the biggest names - were fully behind the efforts to showcase African football in Angola. Manchester City's Emmanuel Adebayor explained: 'We were born in Africa so we know what it's about. Some people might be afraid which is normal, I can understand that.
But I'm going back to Africa, to one of the countries on my continent, and I'm prepared for Cabinda. I will enjoy myself.'
That was what everybody was hoping for. An African festival. Instead they have an Africa driven by a fear that could even affect the World Cup in South Africa.
» » » » [Daily Mail (PDF)]
Togo Terrorist Attack is late 'wake-up call' for Angola
IOL
January 09 2010 at 12:54PM
 |
Luanda - The African Nations Cup was meant to banish the ghosts of Angola's civil war, but instead the tournament plunged into tragedy with a gun attack on the Togo team, prompting calls for its cancellation.
Angola has vowed tighter security after the "terrorist act" by separatist guerrillas, but the tournament has been overshadowed before kickoff by images of a shell-shocked and tearful Togolese team in the restive northern Cabinda enclave.
The attack was a "serious and late wake-up call" for the government, said Angolan journalist and human rights campaigner Rafael Marques.
» » » » [Excerpt: IOL (PDF)]
2010 World Cup question marks after Togo attack, says Hull's Phil Brown
Hull manager Phil Brown said a "question mark" has been placed over this year's World Cup finals in South Africa following Friday's gun attack on the Togo team bus.
By Telegraph staff
Published: 3:25PM GMT 09 Jan 2010
 |
Brown called for the immediate return of his players at the African Nations Cup following the incident which killed two and injured nine.
"I am appalled," Brown said. "This throws a question mark against next summer's World Cup.
"You simply cannot put the safety of players, officials and fans at the slightest risk. That is totally unacceptable.
"I have two players - Daniel Cousin and Seyi Olofinjana - on duty and I want them back home here with us as quickly as possible."
Meanwhile the gun attack will have no impact on the World Cup in South Africa this year, according to chief World Cup organiser Danny Jordaan.
"It has no impact on our World Cup," Jordaan told reporters from Luanda where he is to act as match commissioner for Sunday's Nations Cup opener between Angola and Mali.
"The world understands that sovereign countries are responsible for their own safety and security and to say what happened in Angola impacts on the World Cup in South Africa is the same as suggesting that when a bomb goes off in Spain, it threatens London's ability to host the next Olympics.
"It is nonsensical for South Africa to be tainted with what happens in Angola, which is not even one of our neighbouring countries."
» » » » [Telegraph.UK (PDF)]
Togo were promised Angola was safe for African Cup of Nations
Togo have withdrawn from the African Nations Cup in Angola following the terrorist attack on their team bus that left four people dead. Here is the background to how they came under attack travelling to their base for the tournament.
By Rory Smith, Telegraph.UK
Published: 8:24PM GMT 09 Jan 2010
How did Angola earn the right to host the African Cup of Nations?
The African Football Federation (CAF) made the decision in 2006 to introduce a rotational policy for the tournament to give smaller, emerging countries the chance to host the continent's showpiece event.
What about the country's security issues?
A CAF inspection team, including World Cup 2010 organiser Danny Jordaan and a representative of FIFA, visited Angola for five days in 2006 and offered praise for the country's infrastructure, with special reference to security. All 16 participating nations had been offered assurances their players and staff would be safe.
» » » » [Excerpts: Telegraph.UK (PDF)]
Togo attack: Africa's dream is in tatters after devastating events in Cabinda
This is the year football was supposed to belong to Africa, the year when the sport that unifies Africans across tribal, ethnic and national divides was to be celebrated on its own soil.
By Duncan White, Daily Telegraph.UK
Published: 9:50PM GMT 09 Jan 2010
 Horror: Togo's reserve goalkeeper Kodjovi Obilale arrives on a stretcher at Lanseria airport after being evacuated to Johannesburg for medical treatment Photo: REUTERS |
On Friday afternoon, in half an hour of sustained machine gun fire, some 10km from the Congo-Cabindan border, Africa's optimism soured. The opening ceremony of the 2010 African Cup of Nations, which kicks off in Luanda today, threatens to be the tournament's wake.
The cup was supposed to be a jubilant prologue to the main event in South Africa this summer. This is the one tournament when Africa plays for itself, when, for three weeks every two years, it is not shaped by the demands of Europe.
This was supposed to show Africa, and specifically sub-Saharan Africa, at its best: African players on African soil. Angola, with the huge economic growth that has followed peace, was the perfect venue for an optimistic future.
It is hard to measure the damage that has been done by the attack on the Togo bus. It was telling that, amid his shocked recollections of the events, Emmanuel Adebayor said he felt "disgraced" by what had happened, that Africa had failed when it most needed to succeed.
The full scale of the shooting only began to filter through yesterday afternoon, with sources in France claiming three people had been murdered. Nine others were injured.
According to Togo's French coach, Hubert Velud, only the rapid intervention of the Angolan military prevented a greater loss of life. "It's totally true they saved us," Velud said. "They were armed to the teeth, which surprised us. Did they know something?
The ultimate source of the problem is also the source of Angola's new-found wealth: the vast oilfields under the Atlantic off the Cabinda coast.
Cabinda occupies just 3,000 square miles of the nearly 500,000 that make up Angola, yet it produces 60 per cent of Angola's oil, which is worth 80 per cent of Angola's economy.
Cabinda is an extraordinary concentration of wealth and, like the Niger delta to the north, it has attracted not just the global oil giants but also violence and corruption.
While the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (Flec), the group that claimed responsibility for the attack, claim they want an independence on ethnic grounds, they also want the oil money to be redistributed across the province.
Why, if a tenuous peace had only been agreed with rebel groups three years ago, did Angola and Caf take the risk of staging games in Cabinda?
The answer is money. Without Cabinda's oil money, there would be no tournament in Angola – the government claims to have spent $1 billion on getting the infrastructure up to scratch. So, it's important for Cabinda to be in on the action, to show that it is a safe place to invest. That is why they were fighting so hard yesterday to preserve the fixtures scheduled to take place there.
If the tournament, the biggest event staged in this blighted country's history, is a disaster, the crash in Angola's reputation could push it over the brink. Some 40 per cent of Angolans live below the poverty line and that number will only increase if Angola does not pull out of the current slump.
» » » » [Excerpts: Telegraph.UK (PDF)]
Team 'machine-gunned like dogs'
Samuel Petrequin, News 24, SAPA
2010-01-08 22:35
 Peace for now: an Angolan woman walks past the African Cup of Nations mascot on Avenida Combatentes in Luanda Photo: GETTY IMAGES |
Luanda - Gunmen opened fire Friday on the bus carrying the Togo national football team in Angola, reportedly wounding several players ahead of the African Cup of Nations.
"We were machine-gunned like dogs," Togo player Thomas Dossevi, who plays for French club Nantes, told Radio Monte Carlo.
"They were armed to the teeth ... We spent 20 minutes underneath the seats of the bus."
RMC reported that three players were seriously injured in the attack -Serge Gakpe, who plays for Monaco, Serge Akakpo of Romanian club Vaslui and Kodjovi Obilale of French lower league team Pontivy.
The team's top player, Emmanuel Adebayor, was not hurt, according to his club Manchester City.
"We had just crossed the border and were going through customs," Dossevi told Infosport television in France.
"We were surrounded by police buses. Everything looked fine and we came under heavy fire.
"Everyone scrambled under the seats trying to protect themselves. It lasted at least a quarter of an hour with the police responding."
Seven people hit
Alaixys Romao, who plays for French club Grenoble, told RMC: "We're all still in shock.
"As far as I know, seven people were hit by bursts of machine gun fire ... the driver, our doctor, a member of the delegation, the assistant coach, the goalkeeping coach and two players."
"Club officials have spoken with Adebayor and though shaken by the terrible events, he is unharmed," a club statement said.
Aston Villa said midfielder Moustapha Salifou was also unhurt.
"You have to ask the question. Football's just a game," Leroy told RMC.
"This is really serious and means that safety cannot be guaranteed. These local hotspots can be really dangerous. The CAF is going to have to take a decision on this crazy shooting." - SAPA
» » » » [Excerpt: News 24 (PDF)]
Wear bullet-proof vests, German World Cup stars warned
The Age, Australia
October 22, 2009 - 7:44AM
Germany's World Cup stars were warned yesterday to wear bullet-proof vests if they venture away from the team hotel at next year's tournament in South Africa.
The head of security firm BaySecur, who look after the the German Football Federation (DFB) and their guests when the national team play away from Germany, says stars like Michael Ballack must take extra care in South Africa.
"The possibility for the players of moving outside of the hotel boundaries should be kept to a minimum," BaySecur's Guenter Schnelle told German magazine Sport-Bild.
"Otherwise there must be a full escort: armed security guards and bullet-proof vests for the players."
The German Football Federation (DFB) are already looking to step up security around the team hotel in Pretoria.
Because of high crime rates in the Republic, the DFB are looking to recruit 20 extra security guards for the team's stay at their five-star accommodation.» » » » [The Age.AU (PDF)]
1972 Munich Terror Olympics : One Day in September [3/10]
» » » » [SQWorms Documentaries]
2010 terror plot: 'SA not ready'
Peter Fabricius, IOL
October 12 2009 at 11:53AM
 “What is the greater danger - nuclear warfare or the population explosion? The latter absolutely! To bring about nuclear war, someone has to DO something; someone has to press a button. To bring about destruction by overcrowding, mass starvation, anarchy, the destruction of our most cherished values-there is no need to do anything. We need only do nothing except -- breed. And how easy it is to do nothing.” -- Isaac Asimov |
An expert on Islamic militancy has warned that the South African intelligence services are "woefully, inadequately prepared" for the potential threat of terrorism during the World Cup next year.
Hussein Solomon, head of the International Institute of Islamic Studies in Pretoria, said militants had already established cells in South Africa.
He was commenting today on reports that Somali terrorists linked to al-Qaeda have been planning to attack US interests here.
Ronnie Kasrils recently declared that there were no ‘established training camps’ in South Africa associated with ‘Al-Qaeda or other such groupings’.
Molotov Cocktail can now reveal that the Minister of Intelligence has not been kept fully informed. There is one substantial training camp – Greenbushes – situated approximately 25 miles outside Port Elizabeth on the Old Cape Road and rumours persist that camps are also based at Vaal Dam, Camperdown, and Schaap Kraal in the Western Cape. In addition, sources within the Tamil community suggest that the Tamil Tigers also sponsor training within South Africa.
The Weekend Argus reported that the US government had closed its embassy in Pretoria and all other US government facilities for two days last month because intelligence agencies had intercepted a call from Khayelitsha to the al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab extremist group in Somalia, discussing a plot to blow up American interests.
This was apparently to be in retaliation for the US military killing of an Al-Shabaab commander in southern Somalia. The US suspected the commander of having played a role in the fatal bombing of US embassies in Nairobi and Dar el Salaam in 1998.
Solomon said today that he had been trying to warn authorities for some time about the threat of terrorist action during the World Cup.
He said international policing agency Interpol had already warned of such a threat but the South African intelligence services did not seem to be listening.
A source quoted in the Weekend Argus said: "What has been established is that the Cape guys are linked to al-Qaeda cells in Somalia, who are connected to the group in Afghanistan. We have established that most al-Qaeda operatives are relocating from Afghanistan to Pakistan, attracted by increased lawlessness in Pakistan.
"Our information is that there is a trail that links Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia and, most interestingly, Mozambique where Somalis have formed an anti-US cell already. The interception revealed that these people plan to move en masse from Mozambique to here (SA) in 2010 to attack American interests.
"I do not mean to be alarmist, but the US was right to take these people seriously because, we now know that they have links with shady characters who have access to old military hardware in Eastern Europe," said the source.
» » » » [IOL-Cape Argus (PDF) & Molotov Cocktail (PDF(14MB))]
Zuma says SA 100% ready for Soccer World Cup
News 24
2010-01-10 14:05
 The French and Belgian governments are incensed at how the South African Police Services botched investigations into the gang rape of a French tourist and an attack on her Belgian boyfriend, the Belgian Swimming Coach, on the Durban beachfront, during the International Paralympic Committee Swimming World Championships, in December 2006. |
Pretoria - In a statement, the office of the presidency said Zuma who has arrived in Luanda, Angola to attend the opening of the African Cup of Nation has reiterated that South Africa remains 100% ready to host the Fifa World Cup, and dismissed speculation that the Angolan incident had any bearing on the World Cup tournament in South Africa.
President Jacob Zuma has extended his condolences to the government and people of Togo on the tragedy that befell the Togolese soccer team in Cabinda on Friday and wished members of the team and entourage a speedy recovery. He also extended support to the Angolan government in its ongoing efforts to bring about total peace and stability in the country.
President Zuma is accompanied by the Minister in the Presidency Mr Collins Chabane and the Deputy Minister of Sports and Recreation Mr Gert Oosthuizen.
The statement said Zuma was attending the games to support the Angolans on their hosting of the Afcon, to promote African excellence in sports and also to further deepen the warm, fraternal and historical relations between South Africa and Angola.
According to the statement, Zuma said the Afcon will demonstrate African prowess in football, ahead of the World Cup to be held in South Africa in June-July.
He emphasised that the shocking and unacceptable attack on the Togolese team should not be blown out of proportion, but should serve as impetus for the African continent and the world at large to work even harder to rid the world of terrorist activity and violence wherever it surfaces.
Zuma is expected back in return to South Africa on Monday. - SAPA
» » » » [News 24 (PDF)]
» » [Sport24: Togo CAN Soccer Players Shot by Terrorists in Angola (PDF)]
» » [News24: Togo Soccer Team Attacked by Terrorists (PDF)]
» » [IOL: Togo Prime Minister Sends Plane to Fetch Togo Team (PDF)]
» » [Daily Mail: Hull City Boss Phill Brown Wants Players to Quit CAN Come Home (PDF)]
» » [News24: Ambush: No 2010 Soccer World Cup Fall Out Fears (PDF)]
» » [SAPA-AFP: Angolan Rebels Threaten More Attacks on Soccer Stars (PDF)]
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